How to Make Italian Pepper Biscuits

So today it's time for my dad's entry, Italian Pepper Biscuits. This recipe was my grandmother's original and has been in the family for over 80 years.

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Now you may be asking yourself, "what is a pepper biscuit?" It's a savory Italian biscuit made primarily of flour, olive oil, black pepper, and fennel seeds. They can be found in many Italian delis and are usually ring-shaped biscuits that have been boiled.

My family's pepper biscuits are baked instead of boiled. When you bite into one, you'll find the texture to be satisfyingly crisp and slightly crumbly. They're all-occasion biscuits too. Serve them as a part of an antipasto. Crumble them into "croutons" for a unique salad topping. Or savor them with a hot espresso or tea.

Pepper biscuits make great easy and inexpensive Christmas gifts too because they can be made ahead. Once cooled, store in air-tight container (preferably tin to maintain their crispness) and keep in a cool area; they should last up to a month.

Even though my mom loves to make pepper biscuits, she prefers when my dad does because he twists each cookie so uniformly. If you're not into twisting, you can also roll the dough into a cigar shape and simply form a circle. They're equally delicious no matter what shape they come in.

Dad's Italian Pepper BiscuitsThese savory Italian biscuits are satisfyingly crisp and slightly crumbly. They are all-occasion biscuits too. Serve them as a part of an antipasto. Crumble them into "croutons" for a unique salad topping. Or savor them with a hot espresso or tea.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, hand mix olive oil, water, salt, black pepper, and fennel seed. Add baking powder and flour. Mix until well blended and a dough begins to forms. Lightly work the dough with your hands until the texture is oily and smooth. If the dough is too sticky, then mix in 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour at a time, until smooth.

Using your hands, pinch off a 2-tablespoon size piece of dough. Roll the dough between lightly floured hands. Roll into a thin cigar shape that is approximately 8 inches long. Form a U shape, then criss-cross the pieces until a braid forms. Place 15 biscuits per baking sheet. Brush tops of biscuits with egg wash. Bake for 40 minutes, rotating pans mid-way through. Biscuits should have a golden color and be crisp on the bottom. Remove from oven and place on a cookie rack to cool completely.

Biscuits should be stored in an air-tight tin container (preferably tin to maintain their crispness) and kept in a cool area, such as a cupboard. Properly stored, they should last up to one month.

Here are more easy and inexpensive edible Christmas gifts you might like:

Mom's Peanut Butter FudgeEveryone loves receiving fudge, especially when it's thick and creamy and studded with peanuts. Feel free to play around with other add-ins such as marshmallows, dried fruit, crushed candy canes, or whatever else you fancy.

Also I'm giving the gift of pepper biscuits to The Happy Cook over at My Kitchen Treasures who is looking for Homemade Christmas Gifts. Click here for many more delicious ideas.

A very merry Christmas and happy new year to you and your's in advance, Susan. Enjoy! :))

Indian bakeries make something similar called "Khara(spicy) biscuits", mixed with margarine, spiced with cumin seeds, Carom seeds and dry or fresh chopped chillies. Miss them so much, might try with your basic recipe, thanks.

All the projects are done now at home. We are off to Disney World this weekend, will be back blogging next year. Have fun.

YAY for your Dad Susan...& for hosting the event on your blog. I lve Christmas at Food Blogga coz I get to see so many yum cookies. Are these the same as grissini? I remember seeing a sea salt & rosemary one like this in a store...just my kinda cookie!!!

Everytime I have an idea about making something unusual I can count on you to do a post all about it. In this case pepper biscuits. My co-worker and friend eats these all the time and last year I tried to find a recipe but couldn't. So I ended up adding pepper to the Pillsbury crescent rolls. They were ok but not great.

Thanks for posting it and all your great gift ideas too. I might also make that peanut butter fudge.

These look fantastic, Susan. But I must say I'm a little annoyed with you for posting them. I've JUST managed to pare down the number of cookie recipes I plan to make in the next couple of days. Now, there's one more recipe rather than one less!!

i couldnt find my moms pepper biscuit anywhere i went online and came across a few odd ones but your Dads is EXACTLY how my mom makes them thank you sooo much for helping me find the tatse of home that i wanted to

I needed bread for my last-minute Italian meal, and found this recipe. The biscuits came together in a snap, especially since I made a half-recipe. With some practice, maybe I could make mine as pretty as yours. Nice to find this blog; it's lovely.